Lost Episode: Homecoming Party
by mrs.morris
Summary: (A rewrite of the Drinking and Driving episode). This story takes place after Edited Episode: The Will. Lisa is running for homecoming queen with the help of Kelly and Jessie. Slater is planning the last homecoming party with the help of his football teammates. Note: Zack and Lisa "dating", but lots of Kelly and Zack because I love writing their scenes.
1. Scene 1

"Make way for the Bayside's Homecoming queen!" Jessie and Kelly announced as the held up their poms-poms making a curtain for Lisa to walk through.

"I'm not homecoming queen yet," Lisa told them. They put down their pom-poms and started to walk away. "Wait! I didn't mean to stop! I like being treated like royalty."

Kelly and Jessie rolled their eyes and giggled. They were all three in their cheerleading uniforms because the first homecoming rally was this afternoon.

"Lisa, I'm so excited for you. Homecoming queen is such a humbling experience!" Kelly told her as she leaned against her locker. "I can't wait to pass my crown off to you on Friday!" she smiled at her friend.

"Humbling?" Jessie laughed. "You think being called a queen is going to make our 'princess' feel humble?" Jessie looked at Kelly incredulously.

"You all are acting like I've already won!" Lisa told them. "I don't want to get the big head," she told them waving a finger.

"Yeah, then, your crown might not fit!" Kelly joked. Lisa gave her a friendly pat on the arm.

"Who is going to beat you?" Jessie asked her.

Just then, Ginger, a tall, pretty blond, walked through the hall as if she floated on air. All the boys in the hall froze to admire her.

Lisa looked at her. Her face dropped a little.

Kelly and Jessie went to work. "Lisa, don't worry! Jessie and I know how a thing or two about getting votes," Kelly assured her.

"As your campaign managers, we're on top of this. You are going to be Bayside's next homecoming queen!"

Slater approached the three girls tossing a football in the air. Jessie grabbed him by the arm and slammed him up against the locker causing him to drop the football. "Slater, vote for Lisa or else!" she threatened him.

"She's already got my vote!" Slater choked out the words.

Jessie released her grip and dusted her hands off proudly. "That's how it's done!" she smiled at Lisa. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Jessie, he was already voting for me! You didn't change his mind!" she shook her head.

"Geez, Jessie," Slater told her straightening up his uniform. "If you were on our team, there's no way we'd lose the game Saturday!"

Screech marched up to the lockers. "Hey, Mama! Looking good in that cheerleading uniform!" he pointed and winked.

"Don't make her mad Screech!" Slater warned. "She'll snap your neck like a twig!"

"Yikes!" Screech squeaked and protected his neck with his hands. "As Bayside's most valuable football player, I just came to get our cheerleaders and star quarterback for the rally it starts in five minutes!"

"Screech, you're not even on the football team! How can you be the most valuable player?" Kelly laughed.

Screech stood up straight and put his hands on his hips, "Why, yes, I am! I'm the water boy! They wouldn't last 'til half time without me!"

"Get out of here, Screech!" Slater turned him toward the Max and the girls followed behind giggling and shaking their heads.

At the Max, Zack was setting up his KKTY microphone to commentate at the rally. "Testing. Testing," he spoke into the microphone, then, he bent down behind the booth and flipped a switch. He tapped the microphone and smiled, "And we're live at the Max! This is the kick off for homecoming week! Today, we'll hear from our star quarter back, and we'll be introduced to our homecoming finalists!"

In what couldn't have been more perfect timing, Kelly, Jessie, and Slater walked into the Max. The students cheered. Slater waved and flashed his dimpled smile. Kelly and Jessie blew kisses with their pom-poms.

"Bayside's favorite football player has entered the building along with our head cheerleader and student body president! If you can't tell the crowd is going wild!" Zack informed.

Kelly and Jessie skipped over to their usual spot right below the Max steps.

"Let the festivities begin!" Zack announced to the students of the Max. He carried his microphone over to Kelly.

"Let's take a minute and hear from our head cheerleader! She's made us sit down, stand up, and fight, fight, fight for the last three years! She's also led her squad to win two regional championships! AND she's been Bayside's reigning queen for the last three years!"

He dropped his tone down to a more dramatic one. "Now, this year she has the honor of passing on her crown. Here she is! Kelly Kapowski!" Zack waited for the crazed crowd to become a little more quiet. Then, he put on his best interviewer face, "Kelly, what words of advice would you give to this year's candidates?" He pointed the microphone in her direction.

"Well," Kelly began tilting her head, "I would say to embrace the thrill of the moment, but don't get too caught up in yourself! Homecoming queen isn't about being perfect. It's about being a role model for the school! A good friend taught me that," she beamed.

"Sounds like a very bright, and most likely handsome, friend," Zack smirked.

"Can I say one more thing?" Kelly asked him.

"Sure," he replied pointing the microphone back in her direction.

"I would like to say that I am backing Lisa Turtle. A candidate who embodies not only beauty, but wit and talent! She is someone I look up to, and she would be a wonderful queen for Bayside!" she announced. The crowd went wild.

"Hear, hear!" Zack cheered.

"Where is our favorite candidate anyway?" Zack asked whispering and covering up his microphone.

"Mr. Belding is talking to them all outside," Kelly informed him. Zack nodded.

"Now let's hear from Bayside's quarter back who has given us a winning record for the last three years and three regional championships, and has broken football record after football record. We won't even get into all of his other sports because this is football season! Here he is—A.C. Slater!"

Slater jogged up the Max steps to take center stage. Zack stretched his cord over to meet him in the middle.

"This is my last homecoming game at Bayside, and it is bittersweet. Bitter because the season is coming to a close, but sweet because we are gonna cream those Bulldogs!" he pumped his fist in the air. The crowd yelled and wooed. "Together, this team has set a standard for Bayside football for years to come. We're gonna make sure we make Bayside proud again this Saturday, right guys?" Slater yelled to his teammates.

"Right!" they chanted in unison.

"Who knows? Maybe they'll even retire my jersey!" he joked.

"There you have it! A football legend and Bayside hero- a man who will be talked about and looked up to for years to come, my best friend—A.C. Slater!" The crowd went wild.

Jessie and Kelly huddled together, then, broke out into cheer:

"A.C. Slater he's the best! Football legend of the west!

Ten yards, Twenty yards, Thirty yards, farther!

Bayside's winning streak's never been longer!

Yaaaay, Slater!" Kelly and Jessie cheered. They jumped, waved their pom-poms and toe touched pumping the crowd up.

Slater put a hand on his chest gesturing how honored he was by the cheer. Then, he made his way over to Kelly and Jessie and draped an arm around each of them as they waited for the homecoming candidates to enter.

Mr. Belding entered the Max. The students whooped and hollered. "Wow," Mr. Belding leaned over to Zack, "The last time I got a reaction like this, I told my mother in law I couldn't make it for the weekend. What she didn't realize was I reacted the same when I found out I had a conflict of schedule."

"Sir," Zack motioned to the envelope in his hand, "the candidates," he smiled politely.

"Oh, right," Mr. Belding fumbled to open the envelope. Zack stepped down to the edge of the Max steps and held out the microphone to his principal.

"And now, my favorite part of Homecoming Week, the moment you've all been waiting for! Mr. Belding will announce your Senior Homecoming Candidates!" Students stood up, cheered, and applauded.

"Alright," Mr. Belding cleared his throat. "First, we have Muffin Sangria!" the audience applauded as Muffin walked in and took the stage left of Mr. Belding. "Our second finalist, is Ginger Rogers!" all the boys whistled and whooped as the giggling girl took her spot next Muffin. "And last, but certainly not least, our final finalist, Lisa Turtle!" Everyone cheered, clapped, and hollered.

Kelly and Jessie huddled again causing Slater to have to move to the side.

"Beautiful, talented, fashionista!

Bayside's new queen should be Lisa!" they cheered causing the crowd to yell even more.

"Ok, ok!" Mr. Belding told the crowd. "We'll be voting for your queen during first period on Thursday. That gives our candidates two days to campaign. Then, we'll announce our homecoming queen and crown her at the big rally on Friday! Saturday, she'll be the star of our homecoming parade! Then, of course, we'll have the big game where we're gonna destroy those Bulldogs! After that we'll have our victory dance!" Mr. Belding clenched his fist and cheered.

"You heard it, Bayside! We vote first period on Thursday, so no sleeping in if you want to choose our next queen! Hey, I know who's got my vote! Until next time, this has been Zack Morris for KKTY Bayside!" He turned off the microphone and shuffled his way through the crowd over to Kelly, Jessie, Slater, Screech and a beaming Lisa.

"Well, this was one successful pep rally!" Zack admitted putting his arm around Lisa. She held the hand that dangled over her shoulder..

"Yeah!" the gang agreed.

"It's a shame it'll be our last football rally," Screech began to cry wiping a tear from his eye.

"Don't bring out the water works, yet, Water Boy!" Slater bumped him with his elbow. "We have another rally on Friday!" he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yeah!" Screech remembered.

"Besides, I need you to be thinking straight so you can help me plan the party after the rally!" Slater reminded him.

"Right! I can make balloon animals!" Screech informed him.

"No balloon animals, Screech, we want the party to be cool!" Slater told him. "By the way everyone's invited! It's going to be a blast! At least, it will be once we plan it! But hey, so far we have the time and the place!" he smiled sheepishly.

"I can't wait!" Kelly said with excitement. "We'll have so much to celebrate! A win, our senior year, our new queen!" she smiled at Lisa and tapped her with a pom-pom.

"Yeah," Zack smiled as he squeezed Lisa tighter.

"You'd better start planning that party soon, Slater. The game will be here before you know it!" Jessie warned him.

"Let's go, Lisa!" Jessie grabbed her friend by the arm out of Zack's grasp. "We've got a campaign to run!"

"Well, hey, can't it wait 'til tomorrow?" Lisa asked.

"Do you want to win or not?" Jessie asked her raising one eyebrow.

"Ok, but when I'm queen, I'm gonna be the one giving you orders!" Lisa conceded.

"Jessie, force is not the way to win!" Kelly told her disapprovingly with her hands on her hips. "I've got to go—if for no other reason to protect Lisa!" Kelly told Zack, Screech, and Slater as she ran after the other two girls.

"Take care of her for me!" Zack called out after her.

Then, he turned to Slater. "So, about this party!"


	2. Scene 2

Thursday morning, before school, Lisa walked through the halls of Bayside putting on her most charming smile. Her campaigning would end when the bell rang, but she wanted to secure a few more votes. She glanced over to see Ox and Screech chatting next to Screech's locker.

"Screech!" she called out in a loving voice. "Your hair looks great! And Ox! I just love that outfit! Sweats are so… so you!" she told him sweetly.

"Gee, thanks, Lisa!" Screech told her touching his curly, brown locks. Then, he leaned over closer as if telling her a secret, "But you don't have to worry. You've already got our votes for homecoming queen," he assured her. "Jessie got to us first!" he told her as Ox nodded in fear.

"Then, why am I wasting my time here?" Lisa asked sweetly through a dashing smile.

"Louise! I just love that nail polish!" she called out after the petite girl as she ran up to her and admired the pink color of her nails.

"Ok, Ox!" Slater announced as he entered the hallway and approached his football buddy. "Zack and I have been spreading the word that the party will be at 7:30 Friday night! Everybody knows!" he put his hands together pleased. "It'll be a blast!"

Ox trembled with excitement, "Oh, I can't wait! Say where's it gonna be?"

Slater looked at him in disbelief. "Your house, remember?" he reminded him with a small smile. "Your parents aren't going to be home…" he let the phrase linger.

"Oh," Ox nodded remembering as he hit himself in the head with his football making a duh motion.

"Listen, we'll meet at the Max at lunch and plan out the party!" Slater told Ox and Screech.

Ox ran off nodding in excitement.

"Great, I'll bring the water!" Screech told him taking initiative.

"Why?" Slater wondered.

"Because I'm the water boy, duh!" Screech informed.

At the Max, Slater and the rest of his senior football buds were gathered around a table. The size of their giant bodies made the table look way to small.

"Ok, guys," Slater spoke. At once their laughing, rough housing and talking stopped. "This is our last homecoming party!" He got low into the huddle of his teammates and clenched his fist and teeth. "Let's make it great!" he rallied them pumping his fist. The guys cheered.

"Alright, I was thinking," Slater trailed off filling his teammates in on his plan.

"Hey," Zack greeted the team interrupting their meeting. "How's the party planning going, guys?" Zack asked.

Ox looked up from his burger that he'd been munching the entire time Slater had been talking, a napkin bib around his neck. "What party?" he asked in confusion.

"Ug…" Slater dropped his head onto the table.

Zack gave Slater a few sympathetic pats on the back, "Good luck!"

Slater waved goodbye to him with his head still on the table. He lifted up his head and tried to focus his team one more time.

Jessie and Kelly flung open the door to the Max. Kelly stood on one side holding out an arm in the direction of the door, while Jessie stood on the other doing the same thing.

"Da, da, da, da da da!" Kelly made a royal bugle noise.

"Announcing your homecoming queen elect, her highness—Lisa Turtle!" Jessie cheered.

The students cheered as Lisa entered the room giving a royal wave. Kelly and Jessie scattered rose petals on the floor in front of her. "Thank you my loyal subjects!" she smiled, gave a small curtsy, and blew kisses.

"I got one! I got one, see!" Sylvester yelled as he grabbed the air from her kiss. He showed it to his friend Big Pete who nodded and smiled.

When, the girls approached the booth, Zack stood up and applauded. "Congratulations, Lisa!" he hugged her. "I bet you're excited to be crowned on Friday."

"You know me," she beamed. "I do so **love **being the center of attention!" she giggled as she slid into the booth next to him.

Kelly and Jessie giggled at her last comment as they slid across the booth from Zack and Lisa. As soon as they sat down, Slater grabbed his usual chair and joined them at the booth in a frantic state.

"I can't plan this party," he told them frustrated, "These guys have the combined IQ of an eggplant!"

The gang looked over to see Ox giving Screech a noogie, two of the other players hitting each other, and the others eating their food like starved animals.

They all turned back to each other and shook their heads. "Those guys are a bunch of animals! You might as well have a toga party!" Jessie shook her head in disapproval.

"Toga?" she heard the football players ask.

Suddenly, Ox stood up and chanted, "Toga! Toga!" The other football players joined him.

"Well, make sure your sheets are clean 'cause it looks like we'll be wearing them tomorrow night," Slater told the gang.


	3. Scene 3

"This is Zack Morris for KKTY at our final pep rally before the big game! I'll be covering all the action right here at the Max!"

Mr. Belding stepped up to the microphone. "Alright students! Tomorrow's the homecoming game! Now here's the captain of the football team, and just an all around great guy—A.C. Slater!"

The students were on their feet giving A.C. a standing ovation. Slater took the microphone flashing a smile. Kelly and Jessie stood behind him waving their pom-poms and cheering. Zack gave him a thumbs-up.

"Well, guys, this isn't Bayside's last football game, but it is the last football game for us seniors here at Bayside! This is the first school that's felt like home to me. This school is really special. My team is really special," he spoke softly as he looked over at his teammates. "We've come a long way! Together, we've given Bayside a winning record for the last four years! Now, the guys and I have worked hard all year! We're going to keep do our best to finish the season out strong! Winning tomorrow's game is just the beginning! We're going to nationals this year!" he yelled proudly pumping his fist.

His fellow players hooped and pumped their fist in agreement.

"Wow!" Zack announced. "Our beloved captain has just made a promise to take the Tigers where they've never gone before! All the way to nationals!"

"You might be good at baseball! You might be good at track! But when it comes to football, you might as well step back! Might as well step back!" Jessie and Kelly chanted.

"Say what?" Slater yelled.

"You might as well step back!" The cheerleaders and students yelled back.

"Can't hear you!" Slater yelled again.

"Might as well step back!" This time they all yelled as loud as they could.

"Go Bayside!" Jessie and Kelly cheered running up and giving Slater a kiss on the cheek. First, Slater looked a little shocked, then, he grinned from ear to ear.

"The crowd is going wild! If this rally let's us get a glimpse of the parade and game tomorrow, those Bulldogs better get back just like they were warned!" Zack yelled excitedly.

"Back to you, Mr. B!" Slater gave Mr. Belding the floor.

"Now, I'd just like to honor all the Bayside football seniors who have given it their all year after year. You freshmen players have a lot to live up to!" he pointed at a few freshmen players who nodded. "All of our senior football players, stand up and take a bow!" he directed motioning with his hand. Ox, Moose, Animal, Steve, and Joe all stood up and waved, then, bowed clumsily as they chuckled.

The students yelled their names and cheered them on.

"Mr. Belding," Screech whispered to the principal. "I think it's time for me to share my wisdom with the students!" He allowed Mr. Belding a glimpse at his stack of index cards. "I prepared a lecture on the importance of hydration as well as tips on how to prevent muscle cramps!" Screech reached for the microphone.

"Screech, don't you think the students are a little too riled up for a lecture?" Mr. Belding asked as he moved the microphone from Screech's grasp.

"No, increased emotions and physical activity means they're at greater risk for dehydration!" Screech retorted quickly.

"Sit down, Screech," Mr. Belding, perturbed, commanded.

"Alright, now it's time for our special homecoming crowning!" Mr. Belding announced trying to regain control of the crowd. The crowd quieted and Mr. Belding continued.

"You heard him, ladies and gents. It's the moment we've all been waiting for. Or at least I have," Zack told the microphone with a smirk as he straightened his shirt collar.

"First, I'd like to take introduce a young lady who has been making Bayside proud now for three years. She has been a leader on her sports teams often leading them to victory. She also has a reputation for doing good, being honest, and helping others. Here she is—Miss Kelly Kapowski!"

The crowd went wild. Every male stood up, whistling and applauded as Kelly took the stage. Girls gasped at the sight of her sparkling silver gown. Slater stood up, clapping and yelling and the rest of the football players joined. One held up a sign saying, "Marry me, Kelly!".

Zack stood entranced as he watched Kelly walk graceful up to the microphone. She looked like she had walked straight out of one of his after school detention fantasies he used to have about her. Zack shook his head and regained his composure, "I'm sure you can hear the crowd going crazy. The former queen, Miss Kapowski, has taken the stage. Looking absolutely," his voice trailed off as he searched for the right word.

In his brief silence, Kelly looked around the Max, when suddenly her eyes fell on him. It was a habit she had developed while they were dating. Whenever she would compete, whether it was a pageant, a swim meet, or a cheerleading competition, she would find him in the audience. He would smile and nod and she would soar.

So, when her eyes locked with his, Zack gave her a genuine smile and a nod. "Looking absolutely… enchanting," he finished.

Kelly turned and looked around at her students. "Thank you, Mr. Belding," she smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Bayside!" She smiled warmly at her fellow students. "It has been an honor to be your homecoming queen," she paused for a moment. "But this crowning isn't about me. This is a time to celebrate a new queen at Bayside! A young woman who is passionate, talented, honest—sometimes brutally honest—"she and the crowd chuckled, "and always there for her friends. She is like a sister to me, and I'm honored to pass on my crown to my best friend, Lisa Turtle!" she began clapping and smiled as she watched Lisa approach the stage waving royal elegance in a beautiful blue sequined gown she had designed herself.

Again the crowd went wild. The stood up cheering and this time another football player held up a "Marry me, Lisa!" sign.

"Alright, students, in case you haven't heard there's a new queen reigning at Bayside. One of my favorite ladies, Lisa Turtle, won the crown by a landslide!" Zack told radio land.

Kelly and Lisa hugged tightly. The crowd awed and sighed at the sight of the two friends hugging. Kelly took the crown from her head and placed it gently on Lisa.

Kelly stepped back to the edge of the Max stage as Lisa stepped in front of the microphone.

Lisa clasped her hands in front of her, a huge smile on her face. "I am honored to be chosen as your homecoming queen," she began. "It means so much to me. I hope I can live up to all those things that Kelly said about me. I know this may be hard to believe, but I'm at a loss for words," everyone laughed with her. "So…Beat Valley!" she cheered pumping her fist in the air.

"Words of wisdom from Bayside's royal highness—and my date for the homecoming dance Saturday! See you all at the festivities tomorrow!"


	4. Scene 4

"Wow," Slater admired, "you girls look great!" He grinned flashing them his dimpled smile. Kelly, Lisa, and Jessie smiled back as they entered Ox's house.

"Lisa made these togas for us," Jessie informed him.

"Well, you would have made Caesar proud," Slater complimented.

"Hey, guys!" Zack greeted them. "Let me give you a tour! This is the dance floor," he told them motioning with his hand. He led the girls into Ox's living room. The room had been cleared of most of its furniture. The couch was pushed to the back wall directly under a banner that read "Go Bayside! Class of '93." A couple of football players were tossing a football back and forth. Music was blaring and people were dancing all over the living room.

"And Ox's parent's are ok with all of this?" Lisa asked a little impressed with the trust his parents seemed to have in their son. "I mean, you rearranged their house."

"Of course they're ok with it," Zack shrugged.

"What he means is they aren't here," Slater explained.

"Right," Zack added, "And without knowing anything about it, it's hard to not be ok with it." Slater nodded in agreement.

"A criminal mind in action," Jessie retorted. Zack gave her a mocking look.

Kelly and Lisa smiled and shook their heads.

"Fellow seniors and not so seniors, please welcome Bayside royalty!" Zack yelled over the music. Someone was kind enough to turn it down a little. He continued, "Introducing our former queen Miss Kelly Kapowski, and our new homecoming queen, Miss Lisa Turtle!"

Everyone in the dance floor area cheered and clapped.

"This really doesn't get old, does it?" Lisa whispered to Kelly.

Screech came running over with four laurel wreath crowns on a pillow. He put a crown on both Kelly's and Lisa's head.

"And of course, football royalty, our homecoming king, AC Slater!" Zack announced.

Slater pretended to be modest about the honor. Screech put the third crown on his head.

"Screech, why are there four crowns?" Zack asked him quietly.

"We've got two queens, so we need two kings! And you just so happen to be the most royal of us all because you've dated both of them," Screech informed him.

Zack looked at him a little puzzled, but then shrugged and let Screech crown him.

Zack hooked his arm around Lisa's and Slater looped his arm through Kelly's and Jessie's as they lead them to the kitchen area. Pizzas, sub sandwiches, chips, sodas and punch were laid out in a spread across the kitchen.

At first, Zack and Slater looked proud, but when they saw the look on the girls' faces they knew they hadn't done as good of a job as they thought.

"We've never been in charge of party food before," Slater explained sheepishly.

The girls could see the boys had put a lot of effort into the display, however crude. That made the spread charming. Their faces softened.

"I give you an 'A' for effort," Lisa commented.

"I think, it has charm," Kelly comforted.

"Would you like some refreshments then?" Zack asked.

"Maybe later," Jessie quickly replied.

"Yeah, let's dance first!" Lisa agreed.

The five of them headed back to the dance floor.

"Queen Lisa, can I have the honor of this dance?" Ox asked as he rushed toward with a bow.

Lisa glanced over to Zack who gave a shrug of approval.

"Why sure, Ox," Lisa said a half amused and half surprised. They went to the middle of the living room and began to dance. Ox danced clumsily as Lisa looked back and smiled at her friends.

Screech joined in dancing around flapping his arms like a chicken. Jessie and Slater made their way to the center of the floor and before long Lisa and Ox could hardly be seen through the crowd of dancers.

"You wanna?" Zack asked Kelly as he motioned toward the dance floor.

"Sure," she smiled and they danced their way toward the group.

"Great party, Slater!" Moose yelled over the blaring music.

"Yeah, man! This is the best party yet!" Ox smiled as he twirled Lisa around.

After about half an hour of dancing, Jessie and Zack made their way to the sidelines of the dance floor.

"I think I've danced with every guy here!" Jessie grinned.

"Yeah? So has Lisa," Zack chuckled.

"Except she hasn't danced with you yet," Jessie observed.

"Yeah, well," Zack replied. "She's been celebrating."

"You ok?" Jessie asked him a little concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine. You'd think I would be a little disappointed," he paused.

"But you're not," Jessie finished.

"Is that bad?" Zack scrunched his face a little.

"Maybe it means that you trust her and are secure in your relationship," Jessie told him with a reassuring smile.

Zack nodded.

_Ding. Dong._

_Saved by the bell, he thought_. _I really don't want to get into this with Jessie, not tonight._

"Sounds, like we have more guests!" Zack forced a grin. "Excuse me." Jessie watched as he headed toward the entry.

"Meet me at the back door," Steve whispered as Zack opened the door.

"But, you can get in this way," Zack reminded him as he motioned to the entryway.

"We parked at the back 'cause we got a special delivery," Steve explained giving air quotes as he said the words special delivery.

"O-kay," Zack waved goodbye at Steve with a goofy smile. Then, he closed the door and shook his head in confusion.

"'Special delivery' at the back door," Zack mimicked Steve's air quote to Jessie.

Jessie raised an eyebrow and followed Zack to the back door in the kitchen.

Zack opened the door to find Steve and Animal each dragging in two large coolers.

"Need more refreshments, dude?" Animal asked with a laugh. He popped open the cooler and showed Jessie and Zack the beer inside.

Jessie's eyes widened.

"Animal, what were you thinking?" Zack scolded him through gritted teeth. The kitchen was empty except for the four of them since everyone had been dancing.

"He was 'thinking' that this is our senior party and it needed to be kicked up a notch," Steve told Zack using air quotes again.

"What is it with you and air quotes?" Zack asked frustrated. Steve shrugged stupidly.

"How did you get this anyway?" Jessie asked.

"I used my brother's I.D.," Animal admitted proudly.

"We've got to get rid of this," Jessie told them, her voice escalating as it always did during situations she deemed were crisis.

"I agree," Animal grabbed a beer and tossed it to Steve. They both grinned and gave each other a high five.

Jessie looked at them in disgust.

"Guys, look, we get you were trying to plan an unforgettable party," Zack tried to reason. "But tomorrow's the big game. How are we going to win if our entire football team has a hangover?"

Steve shrugged, "The game isn't until the afternoon, Zack. Besides, it's just a few beers. We just want to have a little fun."

Zack looked at Jessie. He knew this wasn't a good idea, but before he could say anything else, Animal and Steve started taking a cooler through to the dance area.

"Are you ready to party?!" Animal yelled out over the music. "There's more in the kitchen!" Then, he and Steve began passing out drinks to everyone.

"I'd like to make a toast!" Steve told the room full of teens. "Cheers to the best football team in the county!" Then, Animal tossed one a beer to Slater. Slater caught it and looked a little torn. "I don't know, guys. I want to be in good shape for tomorrow's game," he grinned.

"Boo!" Steve jeered.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!" Animal began chanting soon some of the others joined in watching for Slater to join. Slater pulled the tab, raised his can, and took a big drink.

Jessie marched over to the quarterback. "Slater, what are you doing?" she asked concerned.

"Jessie, I barely even took a drink," Slater assured her.

Steve tried to hand a beer to Jessie. "No thanks," she told him. "This isn't right. I'm getting out of here. Lisa, Kelly, are you coming with me?" she asked.

"I'm not finished celebrating!" Lisa told her. She was holding an opened can of beer.

Kelly looked from Lisa to Jessie.

"Stay here, Kelly," Lisa almost begged, "I don't want to ride back alone with a bunch of sweaty, toga boys," she scrunched her nose in disgust.

"I guess I'll stay here," Kelly said a little uncomfortably.

"Well, if you need me to come back just call me," Jessie told them. She turned and headed out the door.

"This stuffs not that bad once you get passed the smell," Slater told Zack as he crushed an empty can in his hand.

Zack nodded.

"You tried any yet?" Slater asked his friend.

"Nah," Zack told him.

"Oh, come on, preppy. All the things you've tried and you won't try a beer," Slater joked.

Slater grabbed two beers, one for himself and one he handed to Zack. "Zack, we're in a house. You're with your friends. There are no parents and no Belding. It'll be fine," Slater assured him.

Zack studied him for a moment. It was true he'd broken rules- even the law- before. And lots of teens drink underage. It's the driving that's bad right? He wasn't sure how he felt about consuming something that might make him lose control of the one thing he had going for him—his mind. He'd have one beer and that would be it.

"Beat Valley," Zack clanked his can against Slater's.


	5. Scene 5

"Queen Lisa, here is your royal brew-sky," Joe brought another glass of beer to Lisa on a silver platter. "I'll drink to that!" she smiled as she took the glass. He took her other hand in his. Lisa smiled charmingly at him.

"Lisa, I think you've had enough," Kelly told her taking the glass from her friend. Lisa was leaning toward the glass to take another sip. Then, frowned when it was out of her reach.

"But I'm the queen," Lisa pouted.

"Yes, a queen who I just found flirting with a guy who wasn't Zack," Kelly whispered forcefully. "Which means, you've had enough," Kelly said firmly as she dragged Lisa away from a buzzed football player.

"Where you goin'?" Joe yelled back.

Lisa turned, smiled and waved goodbye clumsily as Kelly pulled her by the arm.

"It's not the beer, Kelly. It's just, sometimes, I forget I'm not single," Lisa tried to explain as Kelly sat her down on the couch.

"Maybe. But tonight, it's the beer," Kelly told her matter of factly as she took a seat beside her friend.

"You know what you need," Lisa leaned forward and put a hand on Kelly's shoulder. "A drink," she whispered as if she was delivering the secrets of the universe. "It'll help you cut loose a bit. Have more fun. Oh, Joe-" Lisa cooed.

"Um… no, thanks, Joe," Kelly corrected.

"That's a no-go, Joe!" Lisa yelled out. She laughed at her rhyme.

Kelly arched an eyebrow. Here attention switched from Lisa to the mantle where she watched Steve smash a beer can onto his head he stumbled backward and landed right on top of Screech.

"Aah!" Screech's cry was somewhat muffled by the football player's body.

"Screech," Kelly called out as she rushed over to help her friend up. "Are you ok?"

He nodded as he took her hand and got up from the floor.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Screech agreed. He picked up the smash can and set it down on a nearby table.

"Have you had any?" Kelly asked curiously nodding her head in the direction of the can.

"Are you kidding?" Screech asked. "I get a buzz from cough syrup," he twisted his mouth into a goofy yet thoughtful expression.

"Screech, I need you to stay with Lisa," Kelly ordered. She shoved him down on the couch next to Lisa. He sat on the edge of the couch with both hands in his lap making a goofy face.

"Just keep her here," Kelly instructed. As soon as she said those words, Lisa plopped her head down on Screech's shoulder.

"I don't think that'll be too hard, even for me!" Screech concluded.

Kelly glanced at the clock—12:00 am. Her parents wouldn't be worried since they thought she was staying over at Lisa's. Lisa's parents were out of town and would be back home tomorrow in time for the homecoming parade and game. She was just ready to leave this party.

"Hey, Slater," she walked over to the entry where he was talking to some of his teammates.

"Hel-lo," a few other of the guys huddled around Slater greeted her.

Kelly smiled uncomfortably. Slater shoved the other guys back. "What's up, Kelly?" he grinned at her. Then he shot the other guys and angry look, warning them to stay away.

"I really need to get Lisa home," she told him, "but it's too late to call Jessie, and we need a ride. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, this parties dead anyway," he told her as he stepped over a sleeping body. "I just need to find Zack and Screech."

"Screech is with Lisa in the living room," she pointed to the couch where Lisa was snoozing on Screech's shoulder. "I'm not sure about Zack," she told Slater.

"Maybe he's in the kitchen with the candlestick," Slater joked.

Kelly chuckled. "You don't seem like you've had nearly as much to drink as everyone else," Kelly admitted.

"Nah, just a few beers," Slater said nonchalantly.

As they walked to the living room, Animal came up behind them, pushing himself in between both Kelly and Slater. He draped his arms around their shoulders.

"Hey, Animal," Slater greeted, "Where have you been?"

"Puking my guts out," Animal admitted smiling.

"As long as you're having fun," Slater forced a smile as he gave Animal a friendly elbow off him.

Suddenly Ox burst out, "Hey! Let's trash this place!" He picked up a lamp from one of the tables in the living room.

"Wait Ox! This is your house," Slater rushed over toward him and grabbed Ox's arm.

"Oh yeah," Ox remembered. He put the lamp back down on the table gently.

"You look for Zack, and I'd better stay here and keep an eye on these guys," Slater told Kelly.

Kelly pushed through the swinging door of the kitchen. She found Zack was sitting at the kitchen table. There were a couple guys with their heads down on the table around him.

"Hey, Kel," he smiled at her. "Wanna join?" he asked her as he shuffled some cards in his hand. "As you can see the competition is fierce," he motioned to the other guys at the table. One snorted and turned his head over to reveal a potato chip stuck to his cheek.

"Poker," Kelly observed.

"Well, it was," he admitted. "Now I've just been making bets on who passes out next," he kidded. "You know, there's not much profit when you're betting against yourself," he smiled.

Kelly shook her head with a soft chuckle. Then, her eyes fell on the table where she noticed beer cans in front of him.

"I didn't have much," feeling the need to explain himself.

"I didn't have any," Kelly admitted humbly.

"I wouldn't expect anything different," he told her with a tender smile.

"Yeah," she whispered. He couldn't tell if the look she gave him was a look of disappointment because he drank or disappointment because it didn't surprise her.

"Kelly, I know I plan a lot of crazy things, but I didn't plan this," he motioned to the beer on the table. "Neither did Slater," Zack assured her.

Her face brightened. "I guess I believe you," Kelly agreed slowly, "Your plans usually leave people regretting what they've done immediately—not a day later," she said giving him a coy smile.

"You know me too well," he nodded trying to hide the smile from the remark she had just given him.

She moved over to the table and took the seat beside him. "I'm just not used to these kind of parties," she confided.

"As hard as it is to believe," Zack whispered to her leaning in, "Neither am I. But don't tell anyone. I've got a reputation to keep," he joked adjusting his shirt collar.

Kelly giggled. Zack could always make her feel comfortable even in uncomfortable times.

"This is the first time I've ever taken a drink," he admitted as he twirled the leftover beer in his can making a sloshing noise. Then, he sat the can back down on the table.

Kelly reached across and picked it up. She sniffed and frowned. "Smells great," she lied.

"Yeah, I could use a few tic tacs right now," Zack admitted. He watched intently as she investigated the can. He could tell she was curious. She sat the can back down on the table but kept it close to her now clasped hands.

Zack got up from his chair and picked up the can. Kelly looked up at him curiously. Then, he continued to pick up some of the other cans and plates on the table. He dumped all of it into a black trash bag next to the kitchen counter.

Kelly brushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear and stared at the now clean table. She knew that this wasn't good hosting etiquette. Zack had just wanted to remove the temptation. She gave him a knowing look.

"It doesn't live up to the hype," he shrugged as he shoved his hands into his faded denim jeans. He walked slowly toward her and his tone became more serious. "You would've regretted it. You're more of law abiding, try a sip of wine in Paris kind of girl," he gave her a meek smile with a shrug.

She locked eyes with him for a moment. A smile formed on her lips and she looked away as she shook her head.

"I know you well, too," he gave her a warm look.

Slater, Screech, and Lisa barged into the kitchen causing Zack and Kelly to jump at the sound of the swinging door.

"I hate to be a party pooper here, but I need to get some beauty sleep before the parade tomorrow," Lisa spoke clearer than she had earlier to Kelly. The few minutes of sleep must've helped. "I'm ready to get out of here."

"Yeah, me too," Slater agreed.

"You need beauty sleep or want to go?" Screech asked tilting his head.

"Grrr," Slater scowled at him and lunged a bit.

"Beauty sleep it is!" Screech concluded jumping back.

"Who's going to drive?" Slater asked. "I'm feeling a little," he waved his fingers around his head, "I don't think I should."

"Definitely not me," Lisa threw in.

"I could drive," Screech volunteered.

"You can't even walk without bumping into things! No way!" Lisa argued throwing up her hands.

"Well, I didn't drink either," Kelly admitted. "I could take us home."

"We drove Slater's car," Zack explained. "It's a stick shift."

They all looked at each other for a moment. Then, Zack broke the silence. "Look, I feel alright. I didn't have much. I'll take us home."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Zack?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he assured her.

"Alright, here you go, Preppie," Slater handed him the keys.

Lisa, Screech, and Slater headed out to the car. Kelly followed but looked back at Zack one more time.

He nodded, "We'll be fine."


	6. Chapter 6

As Screech, Kelly, and Slater climbed into the back seat of Slater's convertible, Zack opened the door to Lisa into the passenger side of the car. She smiled at him with gratitude as he took her hand and helped her into the seat. She was a little dizzy, but she felt a lot more awake than she had half an hour ago. As she put one foot into the car, she somehow slipped a little bit and fell into the seat. She laughed as she straightened herself up and smoothed out her toga.

"It feels good out here!" Slater said lacing his fingers together and resting his head in his hands as he looked up at the starry sky. "Let's cruise around a little," he suggested.

"Slater, we're just two miles from your house," Kelly reminded him with a half smile. "A little would be all we drove."

"You know what I mean," Slater told her still looking toward the black sparkling sky. "It's our senior year. Tomorrow's a big day. Let's enjoy these moments together!"

"You sound like a Kodak commercial," Kelly giggled.

"He's right!" Lisa agreed, turning toward the back seat to look at Kelly and Slater. "It's not every day a girl gets to ride around in a convertible wearing a crown!"

"I don't know," Kelly began as she remembered that Zack had had a few drinks and would be driving. "Maybe we should just go home."

Zack glanced back at Slater and then looked over at Lisa, "Yeah. Besides weren't you both ready for your "beauty sleep" just," he looked down at his watch, "three minutes ago?" he asked confused.

"Yeah, but it was probably because that party was boorrriinng," Lisa leaned toward him twisting her face into an exaggerated bored expression.

"Hey, Slater and I worked hard planning that party," Zack reminded her feigning offense.

"No, we didn't," Slater called him out with a snort, "We put it together about half an hour before it started."

Zack turned around shooting him a dirty look.

"Who are you trying to fool, honey? It's not like Kelly and I couldn't tell the minute we laid eyes on that spread you tried to pass off as hours devours," Lisa informed him with a chuckle.

"Can we get the reviews later? We're cruising here!" Slater interrupted with enough agitation that he moved from his reclined pose.

"You do realize for us to cruise the car has to be moving, right?" Screech asked innocently.

Everyone glared at Screech.

"What?" he asked with a squeak.

"Alright," Zack concede starting the engine. "We'll live in the moment," he mocked Slater's words and laughed.

They pulled out of Ox's driveway and Zack made a turn away from town.

"We need some music," Lisa decided. She flipped through the radio stations.

"Wait, leave it there!" Zack told her when she found a song he recognized. "I love this song!" He reached over and twisted the volume knob.

"You love this song?" Kelly asked with a laugh.

"Yeah," he looked at her through the rear view mirror. He began to sing the words slightly off key, "Wild thing! You make my heart sing!" Zack stopped a moment, "Come on! You guys are telling me you don't know this song?"

"Yeah, I know it," Slater admitted. "It used to be mine and my girlfriend's song when I was in Italy."

Zack burst out laughing. Screech, Lisa, and Kelly joined in.

"How romantic!" Lisa laughed wiping her eyes.

"I was twelve!" Slater explained.

He began singing, "Wild thing, I think I love you!"

Everyone laughed even harder.

Slater crooned louder "But I wanna know for sure!"

"Come on and hold me tight," Zack joined in with him. Then, Slater and Zack gazed at each others with mocked passion through the rear view mirror, "I love you!" They both laughed hysterically.

It didn't take long for Screech, Lisa, and Kelly to join them. When they didn't know the words, they just mumbled. Everyone was singing, dancing, and laughing so hard there were tears in their eyes. As Lisa wiped her eyes, she noticed Zack was swerving into the other lane a bit.

"Watch it, Zack," she warned with a little laughter still echoing in her voice, "You're driving kind of crazy."

"I drive lots of girls crazy," he told her with a grin and a wink.

"Good one, preppie," Slater leaned forward reaching out a hand for Zack to slap. Zack returned the five causing the car to slightly stray from its path.

"You're both pathetic," Lisa told them. Kelly bit her lip to hide her giggling. Zack and Slater both burst out in hearty laughter at Lisa's phony disdain. "And keep watching the road!" she gave an order causing Zack to try to stifle his chuckles.

"So, it's a good thing when a girl tells you you're driving them crazy?" Screech asked with new revelation.

"No, Screech," Kelly told him flatly patting him on the knee.

Zack could no longer keep a straight face and let loose with a loud guffaw. It didn't take long for everyone else to catch a bad case of the giggles. Because of their chuckling, it was hard to notice the car beginning to swerve. For just a few seconds, Zack took one hand off the wheel, to wipe his eyes when he felt the wheel slip from his other hand.

The car headed toward the left lane quickly. Lisa gasped as she saw the headlights of another car heading toward them.

"Lookout!" she yelled at Zack.

Panicked, Zack grabbed the wheel with both hands, and cut the wheels hard to the right. The tires squealed as the car swiftly changed directions. In the sudden movement, Zack lost control of the car. He hit the brakes with full force hoping to stop the rebellious automobile from hitting anything, but his efforts were in vain. He couldn't regain control. The screech of the brakes was soon followed by the sound of the car colliding into a guard rail. Then, everything was still.

Everyone sat frozen for a moment.

Zack ended the stillness by turning off the radio which was still blaring. He dropped his hand back down to his side digging his fingers into the seat. He was afraid to look around. After a few seconds, he asked, "Is everyone ok?"


End file.
